Kiefer moves to Octagon

Octagon signed Nicolas Kiefer to a representation contract, corralling
one of the top tennis players in Germany.

Kiefer, 24, had been represented by SFX Sports (now Clear Channel Entertainment).
At SFX, Kiefer was managed by Patricio Apey, who recently left the firm,
taking several of his clients with him.

"Kiefer has been around the block from a management perspective, so
we are obviously flattered to some extent that he has chosen us," said
Tom Ross, Octagon's head of men's tennis. Ross said there were no marketing
or financial guarantees in the deal.

But Ken Meyerson, head of men's tennis at Clear Channel, said, "Their
offer was clearly better than ours."

Meyerson pointed out that Clear Channel would continue to receive commissions
from Kiefer's Adidas contract, his principal endorsement.

Tennis is still a top sport in Germany, even after the retirement of
Boris Becker and Steffi Graf, who was an Octagon client. But the country
has never fully embraced the quiet Kiefer, who reached as high as No.
4 in the world in January 2000 but had fallen last week to No. 37 on
the ATP's calendar points race. His Adidas contract is thought to be
his only endorsement. He plays with Wilson rackets but is not under
contract.

Kiefer will be managed at Octagon by Ulf Dahlstrom, a former Adidas
tennis executive, who is now based in Monte Carlo.